Archive for the ‘WWII’ Category

Baker Company of the 8th RCT, 4th Infantry Division is pushing inland to the town of St-Marie-du-Mont. However, the route to the town is blocked by the Germans of the 2nd Company, 919th Infantry Regiment. The Germans have placed a PAK 40 ATG to cover the road and dug in around a cluster of farm buildings. The PAK has already knocked out the leading M4 Sherman of Baker Company’s armor support. The scenario begins with Baker Company deployed for a full assault against the German positions.

This used the Attack/Defense scenario. The American point total was around 500, the German around 250 points.

No photos were taken due to the poor memory of the photographer.

We played 7 turns of the 8 turn scenario in about four hours. The Americans had not reached the objective bridge and had lost their light vehicles and some infantry. The Germans had lost about half their units and the outer defense line was gone.

This weekend the local HMGS-South group tried a demo game of Heroes of Normandie. Five players divided up 3 US and 3 German platoons, including one tank platoon on each side. It was an informal meeting engagement to try out the rules.

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Bolt Action game. The scenario was based on the second night of the Battle of Edson’s Ridge, which occurred on the night of 13-14 September 1942. The ridge was part of the defenses of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. This game involved the position of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, attacked by Kokusho’s and Tamura’s battalions of the Japanese 124th Infantry Regiment.

Lunga Ridge, afterwards known as Edson’s Ridge.

The right end of the Marine position.

The left end of the Marine position.

Will it be a ridge to far?

The Japanese have broken into the left end of the Marine line and destroyed a MG unit.

The Japanese attack on the right is ‘supported’ by miss-directed Marine artillery fire.

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WWII game set in the underground sewers of Stalingrad. The command activation and weapon fire rules from Bolt Action were combined with the movement system from Space Hulk. Three German squads and a heavy weapon team were tasked with clearing four Russian squads and a heavy weapon team from the sewers. They were also to locate and destroy a munitions cache. The result was a bloodbath, with only five surviving Germans and no Russians.

The game started with no models on the table. The GM determined visibility and provided sighting reports as needed. Rain squalls appeared at random on the east edge of the table and moved west during play.

The strangely empty sea. Rain squalls are outlined with string.

The Cushing is spotted by the Japanese, but the US ships have only vague radar contacts.

US and IJN DDs fire starshell to try to find the opposing forces.

Atalanta is illuminated by starshell.

DDs on both sides launch torpedoes. One from the Cushing finds Kirishima. CLs Nagara and Atlanta take damage.

The results after about 4 hours of play were:

CL Atlanta Destroyed.

Cushing (DD) and a Japanese DD crippled.

Two tiers (20%) damage on Kirishima (BC) from torpedo damage.

About 2 tiers (20%) damage on the lead Japanese DD and the Nagara (CL).

Torpedoes in the water would have threatened the San Fransico as we ended the game.

Victory conditions:

CL Atlanta (1 VP), Cushing (0.125 VP)=1.125 VP for the Japanese.

Crippled Japanese DD (0.125 VP), damage to Kirishima (0.1 VP), damage to the lead Japanese DD (0.03 VP), damage to the Nagara (0.05) = 0.295 VP for the US.

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WW2 Eastern Front game using GMT’s Panzer rules. 3mm Pico armor stands and a 1 inch hex grid terrain cloth were used in place of the map and counters. This was a simple tank vs tank meeting scenario to familiarize the group with the rules.

Russians

Germans

Russians advance on the right. Germans maneuver around the light woods.

Russian T34/76s occupy woods on the left, but are mostly out of range for their guns.

Early firing favors the Russians, but eventually casualties mount on both sides.

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WW2 game using the Spearhead rules and 3mm (Pico) figures.

The Belostock Offensive was part of the third and final phase of the Belorussian Strategic Offensive of the Red Army in summer 1944, commonly known as Operation Bagration. The Belostock Offensive was part of the third, or ‘pursuit’ phase of Operation Bagration, and was commenced after the completion of the encirclement and destruction of much of Army Group Center in the Minsk Offensive.

The scenario was the counterattack that was launched by the 19th Panzer Division against the Soviet 50th Army on July 23rd, 1944 near Grodno.

Russian artillery deployed. They rarely answered the phone.

Russian infantry reinforcements arrive.

German advance on the center village.

German mechanized infantry sweep around the right.

Massed tank battle when Russian reinforcements enter on the German left flank.

German fire reduces the defenders of the two occupied villages. The village on the left was taken without opposition.

Two Russian brigades (one of T34s, one of SUs) have broken and left the field.

The initial Russian forces were able to deploy in two of the three objective villages. The third village was out of command range. German armor advanced on the German left, expecting the Russian reinforcements on that flank, while infantry attacked the center village and mechanized infantry advanced unopposed on the right. After about 4.5 hours of play, the Russians still had toeholds in the two occupied villages, but no reasonable hope of keeping them or retaking them when lost.

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Bolt Action game. This was a similar scenario to the previous Bolt Action game. US Marines landed on a beach defended by the Imperial Japanese Army. Six LVTs, each carrying an infantry squad and several small support units attempted to land in the first wave. Several grounded on a reef for a turn, but by the second turn all troops were safely ashore. Two LVTs were destroyed on the beach by a Japanese tank. The marines and the remaining LVTs moved inland against hidden or dug in defenders. When the game ended the Japanese still held 2 of the 3 objective strong-points.

After the initial naval bombardment, the Japanese wait for the landing.

LVTs approach…

… and land the troops.

The left flank LVT is destroyed by the Japanese tank while the Marines use cover to advance.

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Bolt Action game. This was the largest Bolt Action game the group has played, with about 60 units. US Marines landed on a beach defended by the Imperial Japanese Army.

The initial landing.

A Japanese AT gun waits in ambush.

Pins keep some Marine units from advancing.

Air support.

An LVT is destroyed.

A flamethrower takes out an objective bunker.

A Japanese tank is destroyed from the rear by a heavy MG on a halftrack.

With two of three objective bunkers destroyed and the third under effective artillery fire, the game was ended after seven turns.